Bill Conti Named Musical Director for the 78th Academy Awards®

12/21/05, Beverly Hills, CA — Oscar®-winning composer Bill Conti will return to the Oscar podium as musical director for the 78th Academy Awards, telecast producer Gil Cates announced today. This will be the 18th time that Conti has conducted the Academy Awards Orchestra.

Conti received an Oscar in 1983 for the Original Score of “The Right Stuff.” He also received two nominations in the Original Song category, in 1976 for “Gonna Fly Now” from “Rocky” and in 1981 for the title song from “For Your Eyes Only.” In addition, Conti received 11 Emmy nominations and has won three of them for his work on Academy Awards telecasts.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements for 2005 will be presented on Sunday, March 5, 2006, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network beginning at 5 p.m. PST.